Hi Chris,
here are some costs from when we were in SA in '04
I'll start with the expensive countries and work down. All costs in U$
In Chile, a nights accomodation in a cheap place will cost around $10 for a room, fuel costs around 60 cents a litre and a cheap meal will be around $3 - no drinks!
Brazil hotels are cheaper than hostels if there are 2 of you, and cost around 6 - 8$.
Fuel is around 50cents in the south for a litre,
is more expensive than most other places in SA but this is the country to post stuff home from! Meals cost around $3.
Argentina is the place to eat and drink and is pretty cheap, a good 'eat all you want' place will set you back around $10 but eat with the locals and pay $2 - 3. Accomodation costs 7 - 10$ in the towns but you can save in the countryside by camping for free at petrol stations and in the forests. A litre of
is $1.20, cheaper in the supermercados - dont forget to return the bottle to get your deposit back! Fuel is around 55 cents in the north, but in Patagonia, around 40 cents.
Uruguay and Paraguay are similar, a little cheaper than Argentina, P. the cheaper of the 2.
Peru is cheap outside the really touristy areas, expect to pay around $7 - 15 for a room, $2 for a meal and 50 cents for fuel.
Bolivia is good for the budget, $3 - 8 for a room, a meal in a local place costs around $1.50 and fuel again 50 cents a litre.
We never stayed in a place with more than one star and mostly ate in markets. In most countries you can pretty easily camp wild for free, Brazil being the exception - its just too busy! In the south anyway!
If you need any more general costs, can help you out!
Sian..